"Damn eight a.m. classes, ugh~"
Li Miao yawned, casually tossed his book onto the desk, and collapsed onto the bed.
He seriously suspected he had some bizarre condition where he got sleepy the moment class started. He had had it since high school, and somehow it still had not gone away even in college...
Terrifying.
He had originally planned to catch up on sleep once he returned to the dorm, but after resting for a while, Li Miao suddenly felt energized again.
With that thought, he rolled over, grabbed his VR headset, and put it on.
Hehe, this was still the best. He could rest and play games at the same time. What a life...
Spirit Candle... activate!
Light slowly emerged from the pitch-black darkness.
Li Miao had just reappeared before the Spirit Candle and was about to stand when he suddenly saw wax rapidly spread from it, condensing into the tall figure of a Candle Keeper.
"...Newly born flame, thank you for your efforts lately."
"You are now a qualified Candle Spirit Warrior."
"Now, I would like to ask you to do something for me. I wonder if you have the time."
Rogue gave him a slight nod and spoke in a deep voice.
As he spoke, he quietly drew upon the power of the Spirit Candle.
[Because you have recently eliminated a large number of monsters, the Candle Keepers' recognition of you has slightly increased, triggering a special quest.] [You may choose to accept or decline this special quest.] [Attention! This quest can only be triggered once per person!]
Li Miao was initially a little confused, unsure what the Candle Keeper wanted.
But when he saw that glaring notification, even with its differently colored text, his eyes immediately went wide!
A hidden quest!!!
As a veteran gamer, Li Miao knew all too well how valuable something like this was!
"Yes! Yes! Absolutely!"
"Tell me what it is! I'll give it everything I've got!"
Li Miao shouted excitedly, terrified that one careless move would make him miss this hidden quest.
This was a hidden quest that could only be triggered once!
Seeing Li Miao like this, Rogue could not help wanting to laugh.
Being an NPC really was useful!
Naturally, he did not show it. He still wore the same calm, weathered expression. "The Poison Mist Birds on the island have been acting strangely lately. I hope you can eliminate as many of them as possible."
"If you can collect ten Long-winged Poison Feathers from Long-winged Poison Mist Birds during this process, bring them to me."
After saying that, Rogue offered no further explanation. His figure gradually faded, turning into wax that gathered back into the Spirit Candle, fully displaying an NPC's aloof demeanor.
[Special quest accepted—Poison Mist Bird Disturbance.] [Requirement 1 (Main): Eliminate as many Poison Mist Birds as possible within three days.] [Quest Reward: ?] [Requirement 2 (Side): Collect ten Long-winged Poison Feathers (may be abandoned)] [Quest Reward: ?]
Li Miao had never found two question marks so endearing!
He could practically see top-tier equipment and generous rewards waving at him!
"Poison Mist Birds, huh?"
"Your daddy is fucking coming!"
Li Miao instantly erupted with boundless fighting spirit. With an angry roar, he rushed out of the cave in a frantic hurry.
"..."
Inside the Spirit Candle, Rogue watched Li Miao run off as though he had been injected with chicken blood, and the corner of his lips curled upward.
Before coming to this world, he had played plenty of games. He understood, more or less, what players wanted.
In truth, this so-called "special quest" was secondary.
Rogue's main purpose was to use Li Miao to send the players a message—so long as they worked hard to kill monsters, they might be able to raise the Candle Keepers' favorability and receive hidden quests!
That way, a monster-hunting craze would naturally arise among the players, and the amount of wax he gained from them would rise accordingly...
Of course.
Rogue had no intention of getting something for nothing. If Li Miao did an outstanding job on this quest, he would not mind giving the kid a decent reward...
After all, the stronger the players became, the more wax he would gain...
Not long after Li Miao logged in.
Yuanfang logged in shortly afterward and likewise received a special quest from the Candle Keeper.
However, compared to Li Miao, Yuanfang was much calmer and nowhere near as excited.
"So the Candle Keeper really does have a hidden favorability system..."
Yuanfang thought to himself.
His quest was the same as Li Miao's: kill Poison Mist Birds and obtain ten Long-winged Poison Feathers from Long-winged Poison Mist Birds.
Thus, the two soon met at a gathering place for Poison Mist Birds.
By the time Yuanfang arrived, Li Miao was being pecked by a flock of Poison Mist Birds, rolling about on the ground with wounds all over his body. He looked quite miserable.
Without another word, Yuanfang summoned his Bone Fork. After a running start and a brief charge, the Bone Fork left his hand, carving a sharp white streak through the air.
Bone Fork Throw!
Whoosh—
[You killed a Poison Mist Bird] [You killed a Poison Mist Bird]
After precisely piercing through one Poison Mist Bird, the Bone Fork continued onward without losing momentum and pierced straight through another.
One fork, two birds!
"Yuanfang!" Li Miao, who was still rolling around, was overjoyed when he spotted the familiar figure.
"Bro Miao, same as always. You draw the monsters."
Yuanfang did not waste words and got straight to the point.
Then, using his swift speed, he quickly retrieved the Bone Fork.
Li Miao nodded forcefully. Then he brandished his blade and rolled at the right moments, relying on his durability to firmly hold the aggro of the flock of Poison Mist Birds.
The two had worked together for a long time, so their coordination and proficiency needed no explanation.
It was unclear whether the Poison Mist Birds had been weakened by Anchor Island or were simply weak to begin with, but they were as fragile as paper and their attacks were not particularly powerful.
The only thing giving the two trouble was their ability to fly.
Li Miao was clumsy, while Yuanfang's attack range was short. Before, this really would have been difficult to deal with.
But after Yuanfang learned the Bone Fork Throw combat skill, the problem had been easily resolved. Yuanfang's accuracy was also extremely high.
Thus, the only thing limiting them was how troublesome it was for Yuanfang to retrieve his Bone Fork...
Before long, the two completely wiped out a wave of Poison Mist Birds.
Yuanfang did not rush to kill the next wave. Instead, he called Li Miao over, and the two exchanged information about the special quest.
"...Looks like this quest isn't all that rare. It should trigger once the Candle Keepers' recognition reaches a certain level."
Yuanfang said.
Hearing that, the heat in Li Miao's heart faded somewhat, but he was still looking forward to it. After all, they had no other quests to do right now.
"Who knows when the new map will open..." Li Miao smacked his lips. "Good thing we can still fish for fun. Otherwise, fighting monsters all day would get pretty boring."
Yuanfang did not care much about that. Instead, he spoke thoughtfully. "The importance of the Candle Keeper NPC is beyond doubt. We should do this quest properly and raise our favorability a little."
Li Miao fully agreed and immediately moved to get up. "Then let's keep going!"
But Yuanfang grabbed him at that moment. "Don't rush."
"Let's make some preparations first."
"Otherwise, that Long-winged Poison Mist Bird might be difficult to deal with."
As he spoke, Yuanfang pointed at the Merman Bone Fork in his hand.
"Oh..." Li Miao was no fool and immediately understood what he meant. He could not help chuckling. "Looks like we have to bully the Fishman bros again..."
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